Shoulder mortar



y 13, 1944- H. J. FANGER ET AL 2,353,885

SHOULDER MORTAR Filed April 18. 1942 INVENT'ORS HENRY GEUENHAGEN 75:01AMJ. FQNGEE Patented July 18, 1944 UNITED STATES ATENT c erics.

SHOULDER MORTAR Application April 18, 1942, Serial No. 439,457

3* Claims.

This invention has relation to military mortars and more particularlyrelates to a type of military mortar especially adapted for employmentas a shoulder weapon in which the barrel may be inserted in a casingmember which also serves as a shoulder stock.

Among the objects of the invention are to provide a mortar whichtelescopes in the sense that muzzle end of the barrel is inclineddownwardly.

A further object is to provide a shoulder member which mayinterchangeably provide a shoulder stock and a casing for a mortarbarrel, and house within the casing a firing pin mechanism which isthereby protected from injury in rough usage. Another object is toprovide a mortar readily adaptable in assembly in shoulder firing,having sturdy construction with minimum of parts, which is easily andrapidly. assembled and disassembled for cleaning and repair andreplacement of parts, and to improve generally upon the type ofapparatus described. With the foregoing and other objects in view all ofwhich will be apparent as this description proceeds, the inventionconsists of the parts and combinations of parts herein illustrated anddescribed with reference to the accompanying drawing, it beingunderstood that various and minor changes in form, construction,materials and details may be made within the scope of the appendedclaims without departing from the spirit nor sacrificing any of theadvantages of the invention.

One form which the invention may advantageously take is illustrated inthe several views of the drawing in which- Fig. 1 is a longitudinal sideelevation of one form of the invention.

Fig. 2 is a lateral transverse section on line II-II of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal vertical section axially of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary enlargement, in section, of a portion of thestructure shown in Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a longitudinal section showing a barrel member inserted in acasing stock.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary top viewof a portion of the structure shown inFig. 1.

7 is an. elongatedfragmentary plan bottom view of a portion of structureshown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 8 is anenlarged view of a portion of structure shownin Fi '7.

Fig. 9 is a vertical longitudinal fragmentary section of a modified formof the invention.

- Referring to the drawing, in which like characters of referenceindicate corresponding parts in the several views, Ill indicates anelongated cylindrical barrel open at a discharge end II and having atits opposite end means for coaxially connecting the barrel to a combinedshoulder stock and a casing member l2, the connecting means of thebarrel being herein indicated as threads l3. Adjacent its connecting endthe barrel is provided with an external circumferential reinforcingsleeve M which is preferably integral with the barrel, but could also bemade a separate member and shrunk on the barrel body. The sleeve l4provides a shoulder l5 adjacent the thread I3 and is also provided withcircumferentially spaced longitudinal grooves l6 whereby the barrel maybe more firmly gripped for connecting and disconnecting the barrelrelative to the stock member l2.

The combined stock and casing member I2 is a substantially cylindricaltubular elongated body which, since it does not necessarily receiveexplosive force, may be of substantially thinner material than thebarrel and of correspondingly less tensile strength. At its forward endI! the combined stock and casing is adapted to coaxially mount thebarrel member ID, as will be more fully described hereinafter. At itsopposite end I 8 the tubular opening thereof is closable by a closuremember l9 which comprises a cushion shoulder pad 20 which is recessed orhollowed out as at 2| to receive therein a cup or sleeve member 22 towhich the pad 20 may be secured at its recess by teeth or pins 23. Thecup or sleeve 22 has an extended cuff 24 adapted to slide snuglyinternally of the tubular stock body l2, the length of the extended cupportion 24 being substantially the same as the length of the thread l3of the barrel l0 whereby, when the barrel is inserted in the stockcasing, the cuff 24 will abut upon the shoulder l5 of the barrel andthus secure the barrel against movement in the stock casing I2 as thusshown in Fig. 5. The outer wall of cuff member 24 may carry adjacent itsfree edge a pair oppositely disposed radially extending pins 25 whichare received in bayonet slots 26 at the shoulder-pad end of casing l2whereby the closure member may be releasably locked at the end of thetubular stock casing. preferred that the bayonet slots 26 be angularlyturned intermediate its ends so that the pins 25 may slidelongitudinally of the extended portion of the bayonet slot and thusrelieve the pins 25 from recoil shock when the mortar is fired, it

being preferred that the open end of the casing 2 I2 be flangedoutwardly as at 28 to take the recoil shock against collar-ring 29 whichis im? bedded in the padded member circumferentia-l'ly v T of the sleeve22.

If it is desired, the inner axially H aligned wall of the cufl may bealso threaded with threads having a pitch similar to the 'f threads onthe connecting end of-v thehbarrel whereby the threaded connecting end.of. the. ,1 barrel may be releasably connected to the cuff forfacilitating the insertion and removal of the barrel from the casing oras at 24a, Fig. 5.

Interposed between the connected end of the barrel member and themounting end H. of the casing stock is an assembly of a breech block,

firing pin, and manually operable trigger. In

the present exemplificationa closure block 30 of substantially heavymaterial is welded as at 3| in the open mounting end H of the stockcasing: At its' outer or terminal end portion the closure block isrecessed asat 32', thewalls of the recess being threaded to receive thecooperating threads l3 of the .barrel memberso that the barrel. may bemounted thereto with sides of the stock casing relatively offset open- Iings 44 and 45 which are preferably somewhat elongated or ovoidal sothat when the weapon,

is inclined upwardly the openings l i, 45 are substantially 'circular inaverti'cal plane normal to the eye. In order that accurate sighting maybe accomplished at various angles of inclination of the weapon the sightopening 45,

which may be referred to "as the bottom sight 7 10 opening, maycomprisea slidable plate 45 overlying a1 rectangularopening 41, the plate beingslidab ly mounted between small clip members {M48 whichf'may' be stampedup at the edges of 3 the openingJ Stop members 49 may alsobe stamped upfroin'the body of the stockcasing to limit the movement of the plate 46,and'a calibration 50 may be stamped in the casing parallel with the.plate 46 so that the sight 45 may be adjusted to predetermined anglesof.

inclination or to varying distances of range for firing a projectile. I5 l A shoulder strap 5| of any suitabletype may be; connected atoppositeend portions of the stock casing l2 for-purposes of convenientportability of the device.

From the foregcing-descript'ionit willbe understood that the barrelmember lil is connectable and disconnectable from the mountingblockdfluat the?mounting.end I'Vof the stock casing. When thusdisconnected the barrel may be; inserted in thef'stock casing by removalof the shoulder l5 abutting the closure block 30 when the barrel ismounted in axial alignment at-the end of the casing. The closure block30 also provides a breech; end for the barrel, the

At its inner or rearward the shoulderupad' member: [9' includingits'attached 011E124 whereupon the barrelmay be in serted in thestock-casing, muzzle end first, the cylindrical casing; 31 of the firingpin sliding intothe bore za'tthe forward end of the barrel, and the cufiZ l of-the shoulder'member enclosing the threaded "portion I3 of thebarrel and engaging the shoulder l5,- .whereby the barrel isresecurelykheld" inpla'ce,uponjlocking of the pins 25 in the bayonet sl'ot126;

In the modification of Fig. 9 ther'e is a 'somewhat modified" form ofshoulder member where' byzadvantage maybe taken of'the space in thetrigger member extending radially outwardly therefrom though a bayonetslot 42 in the cy-' lind'rical casing 3! and is adapted to releasablylock the trigger spring 39 against the'tension thereof by engaging thetrigger shank behind the: shoulder of the bayonet slot 42-, It will benoticed that the cylinder casing 31 isbf 'con- ,f

siderably less diameter than the tubularportion 52 cf the stock casing.Therefore, when the barrel is mounted at the mounting end'of the stockcasing the trigger pin mechanism-will be mountedaxially centrallythereof in space'relation to the'stock casing wall which protects thetrigger 40 from being inadvertently released from its locked position.In order that the trigger may be readily accessible an opening 43 isprovided in the wall of the stock casing whereby, the trigger isaccessible to the manipulating handlof an operator. f j

Since this mortar is especially adapted for shoulder firing. it is'man'ifest that in operation it would betilted at anangle with thebarrel end pointing upwardly; In! such upwardly tilted: position a sightmeans-is provided so that e the Weapon may be sightedior aimed on'a'linesight substantially :level with the eye of the operator, by'sightingthrough the stoclccasing; For this purpose. there; are: provided. at;opposite recess of, the shoulder pad member. In Fig. 9

the -pin members "25 (a) extend radially inwardly from the'i'nnenwall'ofthe cuff 24(0) and engage invthe bayonet slo-t" therearward or shoulder ingyl-2- to' abut'again'st: the transverse wall ofthejcapping closure member 21(a), the pad 2.6 '(a'); thus permittingpins 23(a); .1

.Itwill be noted that in Fig. 3 and "also Fig: 9; there I is I shown bydotted lines a projectile device in. the-mortar barrel, which bears the1 reference characters-A; B, C. This device consists of an adaptermember A, sealing valve late iaymount ing-an explosive bomb:C,'-thedet'ailed elements of which are not a part: of. thisinvention,*but are included in other applications. The projectile deviceA, B, C; is conventionally shown I 25111:) being? secured. thereto bythe burrs or here'because this mortar is especially adapted tothefiringlthereof, and is 'illustrat'ive' of a the idea that the sleevemember 23 'ofi the mortar 1;. preferably of sufficient axial length SO--as to.

include the adapter A and sealing plate Bfsince the: greatest pressureof. the explosive force is rearwardly of theisealing. placeB to overcomethe inertia of the projectile body.

It. is: sometimes; desirable that the barrel of the mortar be-inclineddownwardly, such as when beingused; by parachute troops,- andalso by ground troops when in action or moving about in-barbed wire;underbrush' and: the. like. Thereend of I the stock casfore, means areprovided for releasably holding the projectile in the barrel whendownwardly inclined. As one example of such a means, there is providedadjacent the breech end of the barrel an annular upraised portion ofslightly less diameter, of the nature of an annular ring 52 which isrelatively wide axially, preferably having a gradual incline in its wallso that the free end of the portion A of the projectile device may rideup the incline. The radial thickness of the ring 52 is somewhatexaggerated in the drawings, a thickness of about two or three percentof the barrel bore being suitable, and depending also on the weight ofthe projectile to be used. The projectile device has elongated fins Alhaving slots A2 at the free end to provide a resiliency to the edge ofthe fin so that the edge of the fin may pass by the annular ring 52 andresiliently bear thereagainst, whereby a resilient releasable frictionalgripping engagement is obtained relatively between the annular ring 52and the adapter fin Al, sufiicient to releasably hold the projectilebody A, B, C, in the barrel when the barrel is inclined downwardly,indents A3 releasably engaging the ring 52.

Having thus described theinvention, what it claimed as new andpatentable is:

l. A military mortar including a cylindrical barrel having a dischargeend and threaded at its opposite end for releasable connection to ashoulder stock member, a shoulder stock comprising a tubular bodythreaded at a mounting end for coaxial releasable connection to thebarrel member, being open at its opposite end to receive the barreltherein when the barrel is dismounted from the stock, said stock beingof greater inner diameter than the outer diameter of the barrel forencasing the barrel, and a breech block and firing-pin assemblycoaxially mounted at the connection between the barrel and the stockwhen the barrel is connected at said mounting end of the stock, and amanually operable trigger for operating the firingpm.

2. In a military mortar, a cylindrical barrel having a discharge end andbeing threaded at its opposite end for releasable connection to ashoulder stock member, a shoulder stock comprising a tubular body havinga threaded end for coaxially mounting the barrel thereto, said stockbeing open at its opposite end for receiving and encasing the barrelwhen the barrel is dismounted from the stock, a unitary assembly of abreech block, a firing-pin and a trigger coaxially mounted at theconnection between the barrel and stock when the barrel is connected atthe mounting end of the stock, said barrel having internally at itsthreaded connecting end a means releasably to engage ammunition forholding it against the inadvertent dropping out of the barrel when thebarrel is inclined downwardly.

3. In a military mortar, a cylindrical barrel having a discharge end andbeing threaded at its opposite end for releasable connection to ashoulder stock member, a shoulder stock comprising a tubular bodythreaded at a mounting end for releasable coaxial connection to thebarrel member, said stock being open at its opposite end for receivingand encasing the barrel when the barrel is dismounted from the stock,said stock having at its said opposite open end a removable paddedclosure member; a unitary assembly of a breech block, a spring actuatedfiring-pin and a trigger member coaxially mounted at the connectionbetween the barrel and stock when the barrel is connected at saidmounting end of the stock, said firing-pin and its actuating springbeing housed in a cylindrical casing mounted at the rearward end of thebreech block and extending into the tubular stock member in spacedrelation to the wall thereof whereby a space is providedcircumferentially of the said firing-pin housing for receiving an end ofthe barrel when the barrel is encased within the stock.

HERMAN J. FANGER. HENRY GRUENHAGEN.

